How do I select my classes? I do not know what to take!

The point of obtaining a liberal arts degree is to gain a varied education. As a result, you are required to take a variety of classes. There are several strategies for selecting classes, which happen to coincide with the three major components of your degree (General Education, Breadth, and Major). Review your current DARS report and start looking for requirements to complete.

Register for classes you will need for graduation

If you have not completed your General Education Requirements, check to see whether any classes of that kind fit into your schedule. Times when you do not know what to take, or cannot get into what you want, are good times to complete requirements that you may have been avoiding. You would not want that Communication B requirement you are missing your senior year to prevent you from registering for a class you have been waiting for since you were a freshman.

Explore a major, or advance in a major

You cannot graduate without a major, so there is real incentive to at least think about it every semester. If you are considering a major, take a course - maybe even one that is not totally introductory, if possible - in that major to see whether you would enjoy completing that major. If you do like it, take more major classes. If you do not enjoy it, cross it off your life's to-do list. You may still have that as an interest or a hobby or even a job, but it probably means you will not choose it as a major.

If you already have a major, make sure you are making progress in it. While many majors can be completed in a fairly short time, that does not mean they SHOULD be completed in a short time. Seeing some of the same professors for many semesters in a row allows you continuity, practice, and letters of recommendation that are superior in quantity, as well as quality.

Take classes you want to take

Elective credits are built into every L&S degree, and while you may think they "do not count for anything," understand that you can use elective credits to your advantage. If you have always loved art, take a class! The same thing applies to any other department that gives L&S credit. Master a foreign language, polish your writing skills, take some social sciences in case you decide to go to law school later, or study the literature that you are afraid to major in because of the job prospects.

The class I want is full!

The registration priority system is designed to help those closest to graduating. If a class is full, you have several courses of action you may follow. It is recommended you register for a schedule you can tolerate, because there is no 100% guaranteed method for getting into closed classes. Ideally, you should create a schedule that will not have to be overhauled if you get into the closed class. If the class is closed:

• Call the department. They will be able to tell you whether they will be opening other spots in the class. They may have a waiting list and may be able to tell you whether people often drop that class. If a course is cross-listed, only one of the listed departments has "control" over the course, so you may need to make two calls.
• Contact the professor. This works much better when you either know the professor or have a background in the subject. Requesting to get into a class just because it allows you to keep your Tuesday-Thursday schedule is not recommended.
• Some departments, especially ones that are not particularly large, are more likely to allow you register. In other cases, as with Business classes, no amount of pursuing will get you in, because they have to ensure that all Business students have an opportunity to get into the classes before they open them up to the rest of the student population.
• Attend the class. Your fellow students switch their schedules around into the beginning of the semester, which can work to your advantage. Go to the closed class the first two weeks of semester and check the class enrollment online regularly. People drop courses and sometimes the instructors will reward your dedication by opening a spot for you.